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Galaxy Note Edge Release: 5 Reasons to Skip Pre-Orders

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With a Samsung Galaxy Note Edge release date imminent in one country and making progress in several others, consumers are starting to get excited. And while Galaxy Note Edge pre-orders will likely be tempting for many of you, there are a number of reasons why you should skip them ahead of the Galaxy Note Edge release.

A little more than a month ago, Samsung took the stage and announced several new products including two new Galaxy Note models dubbed Galaxy Note 4 and Galaxy Note Edge. The Galaxy Note 4 will be the true successor to last year’s Galaxy Note 3 and it will go on sale with a number of high-powered features starting in mid-October.

The Galaxy Note Edge on the other hand is a new product line and it will make its debut later on this year in the United States and select regions around the world. Like the Galaxy Note 4, the Galaxy Note Edge is a powerful smartphone and comes with an array of high octane specifications including a bent 5.6-inch Quad HD resolution, a 2.7 GHz Quad-core Snapdragon 805 with 3GB of RAM, Android 4.4.4 KitKat with Samsung TouchWiz, 16MP camera with Optical Image Stabilization, massive battery, and a thin 8.3mm frame. It also comes with an S Pen stylus.

While it may not have the same appeal as the Galaxy Note 4, there are still tons and tons of people interested in Samsung’s concept smartphone as a potential replacement for their current device.

Galaxy Note Edge Photos - 4

Last week, we finally got a good read on the Samsung Galaxy Note Edge release date. The U.S. Galaxy Note Edge release finally started making progress behind the scenes and Japanese carriers confirmed a Galaxy Note Edge release date for late October complete with pre-orders. It will be released on October 23rd for KDDI.

With Galaxy Note Edge pre-orders live in Japan, Germany, and the United Kingdom, and a U.S. Galaxy Note Edge release date getting close, we want take a look at some reasons why you might want to think about skipping Galaxy Note Edge pre-orders. Here are some things to think about ahead of pre-orders in the United States.

Galaxy Note Pre-Orders Aren’t Worth It

The Galaxy Note Edge is now live Japan and those who live there can pre-order it for NTT DoCoMo and KDDI. Those that don’t live in Japan are also able to pre-order the Galaxy Note Edge though none of those pre-orders are worth it.

A German retailer is taking pre-orders for the Galaxy Note Edge with a 999 Euro price tag. That’s in insane sum for a device that hasn’t been confirmed for Germany and one that is still without a release date. Clove UK is also taking pre-orders for the Galaxy Note Edge though it’s still not sure about the release date or exact price. In other words, it’s not worth the hassle.

Samsung Galaxy Note Edge Photos5

We’re also seeing early Galaxy Note Edge orders emerge on eBay for ridiculous prices. None of these pre-orders is worth the hassle or price. Avoid them at all costs.

We still don’t have any official pre-orders outside of Japan though we suspect that U.S. carriers will offer them at some point down the road. Same goes for carriers in other regions. In our eyes, there is one benefit to putting in a Galaxy Note Edge pre-order: You get the Galaxy Note Edge as quickly as possible. While that might sound great, it’s not. At all.

You Need to Go Hands-on First

The Samsung Galaxy Note Edge is not your typical phone. Not only does it come with an S Pen stylus, something that it unique to the Galaxy Note series, it also comes with a curved display that drops down over the edge. It’s a whole new product category and it’s the reason why this device is going to be a limited edition concept.

We know plenty of Galaxy Note users that bought the device and rarely, if ever, used the S Pen. We also know several Galaxy Note users who wound up hating the device’s overall size, a product of the massive display. This is not a smartphone that you can order blindly. You absolutely must go hands-on with the Galaxy Note Edge before buying it.

You need to ensure that it’s the right size. You need to ensure that the S Pen is going to be worth the price of admission. And you need to make sure that you need the curved display. You can’t do any of these things from behind a computer screen. And that’s the problem with pre-ordering. You probably won’t be able to go hands on before you order early.

Unless Samsung miraculously gets demo units out to thousands of stores ahead of the Galaxy Note Edge release date, you won’t be able to get hands on until its release date. Dates will differ but the advice is still the same. Get hands on with this phone before you buy it.

You Haven’t Gone Hands-on With Its Competition

If you haven’t researched the competition (LG G3, iPhone 6 Plus, Galaxy Note 4, etc), narrowed down your data plan to a final choice or researched your local cellular networks, do not put in a Galaxy Note Edge pre-order.

The Galaxy Note 4 shares a ton of specifications with the Galaxy Note Edge. The Galaxy S5 is a solid competitor to both the Galaxy Note 4 and Galaxy Note Edge. So is the LG G3. So is the new 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus. All of these phones could be cheaper than the Galaxy Note Edge and that means that there should be added pressure to go hands on.

Galaxy Note Edge Photos - 10

The Galaxy Note Edge release is going to be limited (AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon in the U.S.) which makes narrowing down plans and a carrier a little bit easier but this should not be taken lightly. You’re going to have to shell out for this phone and if you wind up on a terrible data plan on a carrier that isn’t reliable in your neck the woods, you’re going to be mighty frustrated.

If you haven’t done any of this ahead of the Galaxy Note Edge pre-orders, skip them.

Wait & See With Curved Display

We highly, highly, highly suggest waiting to see if Samsung and its developers produce anything noteworthy or interesting for the curved display. Samsung is going to be offering an SDK (Software Development Kit) for the curved screen so that app developers can work on software to help bolster the appeal of the display. Whether developers latch on or not is a huge question mark and one that neither we, nor you, will be able to answer ahead of the Galaxy Note Edge’s release.

Again, this ties into our point about really needed this screen. It’s the biggest difference between the Galaxy Note Edge and the Galaxy Note 4 and you’re really going to want to familiarize with it before buying. Our guess is that most of you will not need it.

Galaxy Note Edge Deals

Finally, when the Galaxy Note Edge pre-orders start in the U.S., carriers and retailers will likely charge full price. They probably won’t be charging full price all year though.

Galaxy Note Edge Photos - 7

Flagship Android smartphones always start out at top price points on-contract before dropping in price in the days, weeks and months after release. The LG G3, one of the year’s best, saw its price slashed just a few days after its arrival this summer. While we may not see extensive deals due to the device’s concept status, we’re fairly certain that we’ll see someone offer a discount to stand out from the pack.

Black Friday and the holiday shopping season are both coming up and we typically see retailers offer deals on top phones to sway as many consumers as they can. Wait a few weeks after the Galaxy Note Edge release, you might wind up with a much cheaper Galaxy Note Edge.

One thing to keep in mind: We’ve been hands on with the Galaxy Note Edge and we think it’s a solid device. We’re not saying “don’t ever buy the Galaxy Note Edge”, we’re saying “don’t pre-order the Galaxy Note Edge”. There’s a huge difference.

12 Comments

12 Comments

  1. Hildy J

    10/13/2014 at 7:48 pm

    Wouldn’t the same advice apply to iThings? Somehow I don’t recall GBM advising fanbois to wait until they’d handled them in stores. Maybe I missed it.

    For mass produced phones, I’d agree – if you want an iPhone 6+ or a Note 4, eventually you will be able to walk into a B&M and buy one and if you need to be the first on your block to have one, you need to get a life. For the Note Edge, it’s a limited edition and every one that is sold is one that you can’t have. While I agree that preordering it for more than retail is dubious, if you want it and find a legitimate, close to retail, preorder offer, you’d better jump on it.

  2. Trever Schmalz

    10/14/2014 at 7:19 am

    This just might be the dumbest article ever written

  3. Trev

    10/14/2014 at 7:24 am

    Clove don’t take your card details… and its a two second job to pre order so no hassle

  4. warren

    10/14/2014 at 7:45 am

    Samsung is offering up to $200 cash rebate for pre-orders….so price is right.

  5. Shyam

    10/14/2014 at 7:52 am

  6. Brandon

    10/14/2014 at 9:33 am

    Most Best Buy stores in the US with a Samsung store inside have the Edge on display for consumers to play with. I live in Kansas, for goodness sake, and even my store has the Edge. And, as a user of every new Note version sold thus far, I’m highly intrigued.

  7. Robert

    10/14/2014 at 10:36 am

    In what world are any of the phones (other than the Note 4, if you discount the curved screen) you all listed comparable to a Note Edge?

    Lately, it seems you all just like hearing yourselves talk – a new article every day positing the same stuff over and over again.

  8. Ash

    10/14/2014 at 12:46 pm

    so… how much are you paid by the iCompany to write such articles? Or are you just trying hard to justify to yourself your purchase of the bendable iPhone?

  9. Khaleel t

    10/14/2014 at 8:17 pm

    Iphone rhetoric. The only thing left of the note 4 edge is the word cutting not to be confused with the word culting. Which isn’t a word but I’m just making up something to day like the guy that site this article to meet a deadline. This is a must have device. I can’t wait until every other manufacturer starts making one including the beloved fruit company. Signed Macbook over iphone hater.

  10. Fu Uaho

    10/24/2014 at 10:33 pm

    All this begs one question, do I need to go hands on with this device or what?

  11. kavalier

    10/26/2014 at 10:48 am

    I’ll go hands on after I purchase it. Got 14 days to decide and if it becomes a collector’s item, I can re-sell for a profit.

  12. dlauryn

    10/26/2014 at 12:14 pm

    Really hoping they target black Friday. I love my note, but need to satisfy this Edge lust:) A little nervous, since I’m on Verizon and don’t understand the FCC delay w the best carrier:-/

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